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Details at a glance
Megapixels: 6.1
Lens Mount: Nikon AF
FPS: 2.5
LCD screen: 2 inch
Storage: SD
Size: 133(w) x 107(h) x 76(d)
Weight: 540g
Batteries: Lithium-ion
We clicked with
Supremely usable
Instant click action
Shots in the dark
No flash sync connection
Below-par software
Links
More Nikon information
www.nikon.co.uk
More images
Price Comparison:
Nikon D50
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The D50 is currently Nikon's entry-level Digital SLR. As such, it has potentially two roles to fulfil. The first is to provide a high quality point- and-shoot camera and the second, and in my view the more important requirement, is to provide the control and flexibility that film SLR users have come to expect. The camera I used was supplied as a kit with an 18-55 f 3.5-5.6 G DX lens.
Using the D50
As soon as you take the camera out of the box, it has a good feel about it. It is light but sturdy and fits well into the hand. The viewfinder is clear and simple although, in common with most other DSLR cameras, not as large as a 35mm film camera. Importantly, when using the camera in speed priority, aperture priority or manual mode, the controls for speed and aperture adjustment are easy to change when holding the camera at eye level. The camera features spot metering together with centre weighted and matrix metering, so you definitely have exposure control. I found the autofocus quick and responsive even in low light conditions. As well as a number of autofocus modes, the D50 can be focussed manually. The focussing screen is ground glass but I found it bright and easy to use. This combination of manual control for exposure and focus really does mean that the user can have complete control of the result. I must, however, complain about the lack of a flash sync connection. It irks me to have to pay extra for a method of connecting an external flashgun. On the good side though, for those of us who wear glasses, the eyepiece correction lens control is well hidden and not prone to be knocked from its setting. The shutter release has no discernable delay between depression and exposure.
As a point-and-shoot camera, the D50 also works very well. It provides 6 scenic programmes, as well as 'programmed auto mode', and the autofocus 'closest subject' setting is handy for grab shots!
The LCD screen is clear and uncluttered with almost all the necessary information available. I would have liked to see the ISO setting on the LCD as well to avoid having to use the menu to find it. The monitor is large and bright and features a 'blinking' highlight display which can be a useful reminder of overexposure. This is particularly valuable as washed out highlights cannot be recovered later. It also features a histogram. Like a number of camera monitor screens I have used, this one tends to increase contrast so I found it better to rely on the 'blinking' overexposure warning and the histogram rather than judging the exposure by looking at the image on the display monitor. I also liked the zoom feature of the monitor. I find this especially useful for checking facial expressions and eyes.
I personally found the menu navigation and settings easy to use but I may be biased in that I have got used to the Nikon method on a number of their cameras.
The file formats offered are variations of JPEG, RAW and JPEG +RAW. Personally, I always shoot in RAW mode because I like the quality and control it provides. If you do shoot in RAW mode, note that you cannot use the PictBridge function, which may be a good reason to use the JPEG + RAW option.
Image quality
I was impressed with the image quality from this camera. The images easily support Nikon's claim of prints 38 x 25cm at 200dpi. I like a little more sharpening than the Nikon 'Normal' level. That said, I prefer to sharpen images on the computer rather than using any in-camera sharpening, so, for me, this was not a problem; but it warrants a mention. To probe the noise levels, I used Nikon's capture utility and found that when viewing the images at 200%, digital noise starts to appear at ISO 800 and can be noticeable at ISO 1600 particularly in the shadows. 200% is an extreme setting and at normal viewing distances the noise is not readily apparent. For those that remember the grain of a high-speed black and white film, this camera could be argued to be noise free by comparison!
The Software
The camera is also supplied with PictureProject; I'm not a fan of this software as it does not seem very intuitive, but it provides basic control of the images. If you are using RAW files, I would suggest taking advantage of the Nikon capture trial version which is supplied with the camera.
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Ease of use 
Functions
Value for Money 
Overall 
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I like this camera more than I expected to, given that it is an entry-level offering and my normal workhorse is a D2X, which is hardly a fair comparison. It is easy to use as an SLR, giving good control and produces good quality images. In any case, most of my dislikes were generally solved using the options provided within the menu |
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